Towards Interactive, Incremental Programming of ROS Nodes

Writing software for controlling robots is a complex task, usually demanding command of many programming languages and requiring significant experimentation. We believe that a bottom-up development process that complements traditional component- and MDSD-based approaches can facilitate experimentation. We propose the use of an internal DSL providing both a tool to interactively create ROS nodes and a behaviour-replacement mechanism to interactively reshape existing ROS nodes by wrapping the external interfaces (the publish/subscribe topics), dynamically controlled using the Python command line interface.Comment: Presented at DSLRob 2014 (arXiv:cs/1411.7148

Medicate to execute constitutional and ethical considerations

The United States Supreme Court has not yet examined several aspects of the death penalty. One aspect is the ability for the state to forcefully medicate an incompetent inmate, which may result in the inmate appearing competent for execution. While the Supreme Court\u27 ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute an inmate who is incompetent, inmates who would have had their executions vacated due to mental illness are executed because the state can put them on an involuntary medication regimen. According to many experts, involuntary medication regimens mask the affects of their illness instead of providing a cure. Experts often refer to this practice as the chemical straitjacket. Because the effects of antipsychotic medication, inmates may be sedated to a point where they appear competent, but in reality, they are sedated to a point where their mental illness is still present yet undetectable. As a result, placing condemned inmates on involuntary medication regimens has the possibility to violate the inmate\u27s Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The intent of this thesis is to examine whether the Supreme Court has successfully upheld its duty to promote a fair judicial system by allowing the medicate to execute scheme to continue. Through the analysis of case law, law review articles, and the American Constitution, this thesis will evaluate the treatment of condemned inmates who show signs of incompetence. Through analysis, this thesis aims to raise awareness to an issue that, in the opinion of this writer, deserves the attention of American courts and other governing bodies

Augustinian Approach to Holistic Christian Pedagogy

Presenters explain how in their CORE philosophy class they seek to demonstrate that their students\u27 real life-spiritual life distinction is symptomatic of a dualism endemic to contemporary Christianity (section 1), and that their reading of Augustine\u27s Confessions can provide a unified and holistic corrective to it (section 2) and that doing so helps students see a more radical vision of Christian faithfulness, one that calls for a holistic, life-wide response to the work of Christ that will not allow for an easy distinction between ‘spiritual’ life and everyday life (section 3)

Design of Buckling-Critical Large-Scale Sandwich Composite Cylinder Test Articles

It is well known that the buckling response of thin shell structures can be very sensitive to the presence of small geometric imperfections in the shell. The Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project (SBKF) was established by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center to develop new analysis-based shell buckling design recommendations for stiffened-metallic and composite launch-vehicle shell structures. Large-scale buckling tests are used to validate the modeling and analysis methods applied in developing these analysis-based recommendations. Herein, the test-article design methodology for honeycomb-core sandwich composite cylinder validation tests is discussed and 8-ft-diameter cylinder designs are presented. First, the sandwich-composite design space was defined using several nondimensional parameters, and the desired test-article design space was determined by examining the designs of launch-vehicle cylinder structures. Essentially, all test-article designs within certain design parameters were generated and then down-selected based on simple closed-form failure calculations and the nondimensional design-space parameters. Four of these designs span a significant portion of the design space of interest and were predicted to have global buckling as the failure mode. They were selected for higher-fidelity finite-element analysis. It was found that the predicted closed-form buckling loads matched the finite-element analysis well, but that the predicted strains at buckling differed significantly. This difference led to slight redesigns of two of the four test articles. The four selected designs are presented with buckling-response predictions from the closed-form analyses, and from linear and geometrically nonlinear finite-element analyses with perfect geometry and with geometric imperfections

Estimate of heat flux and its temporal variation at the TAG hydrothermal mound, Mid-Atlantic Ridge 26°N

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2003. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 108, B9 (2003): 2434, doi:10.1029/2001JB000703.From August 1994 to March 1995, three 50-m-high vertical thermistor arrays designated “Giant Kelps” (GKs) were deployed around the central black smoker complex (CBC) at the TAG hydrothermal mound, Mid-Atlantic Ridge (26°08primeN, 44°49primeW). These were designed to monitor the temporal variability of the vertical temperature distribution in the hydrothermal plume. One small high-temperature probe “Hobo” was also deployed in one of the black smoker vents of CBC. Over the observation period, two typical characteristics are recognized in plume temperatures measured with GKs: (1) the amplitudes of temperature anomalies decrease with increasing height above the top of CBC; (2) maximum temperature anomalies on the upper thermistors occurred periodically and nearly simultaneously across the array about every 6 hours. Conversely, maximum temperature anomalies on the lower thermistors occurred periodically every 12 hours, indicating that the location of the plume discharged from CBC was forcibly moved by the change in direction of tidally modulated current flow. The heat flux from CBC was estimated from temperatures measured by GKs based on a model of buoyant hydrothermal fluid rising in a stable, stratified density environment. The estimated heat flux from CBC gradually decreases from about 86 to 55 MW over the ~7 months of measurement, with a mean rate of decrease of 0.17 MW d-1. Since the black smoker effluent temperature measured with Hobo was almost stable over the measurement period, a plausible cause of the decrease is a reduction in the volume of hydrothermal fluid provided to the CBC (in which case the estimated mean rate of decrease in volume flux of CBC is 8.9 m3 d-1). Estimated heat flux, temperature anomalies observed by Hobo, and diffuse flow and subbottom temperature anomalies recorded by other long-term monitoring instruments before, during, and after ODP Leg 158 indicate that the drilling probably affected the fluid flow pattern within the mound but had little effect on the total heat flux from CBC.This study was supported by the Ridge Flux project of the Science and Technology Agency, Japan, the US NSF, and the UK NERC BRIDGE program. GK instrumentation development and deployments were supported in large part by NSF grant OCE-9324542

The Physiological and Psychological Benefits of CrossFit Training – A Pilot Study

CrossFit has been one of the fastest growing training methods in the fitness industry since its inception in 2000. CrossFit combines classic strength and conditioning along with gymnastics movements, Olympic weightlifting, and other functional movements into a constantly varied, high intensity workout. The success of CrossFit and what seems to be exponential growth of their over 10,000 affiliated gyms is undeniable. This popularity might be stem from two main factors: the physiological changes of training and the psychological benefits of a community emphasized, social atmosphere. However, there is very limited research evidence supporting the potential benefits of CrossFit . This study was conducted to investigate the physiological and psychological benefits of CrossFit training in a healthy adult population undergoing their first exposure to the training method. Sixteen participants were recruited from a local CrossFit affiliate in San Angelo, Texas. Participants completed a series of self-report psychological questionnaires including the Motives for Physical Activity Measures (MPAM), Mental Health Inventory 38 (MHI-38), and the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). Following these questionnaires, physical metrics including: heart rate, blood pressure, height, body weight, body composition via Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), along with performance measures including 1-RM back squat, 1-RM bench press, vertical jump test, and a Wingate Anaerobic Power Test were conducted. The CrossFit program was conducted for 8 weeks by certified CrossFit coaches at the local affiliate gym. After the 8-week training, the participants were reassessed using the same measures. Over the course of the study, 6 participants completed the program (2 males, 4 females, 36.2 ± 10.8 years of age, 73.6 ± 7.4 kg, 167.6 ± 5.5 cm, and 31.0 ± 9.2% body fat). Despite the large attrition rate, there were statistically significant increase of lean mass (1.44 ± 1.26 kg; p= 0.039), decrease of mean fat (1.67 ± 1.17 kg ; p= 0.017) and changes in interest subset of motivation from MPAM motivational test (p \u3c 0.05). In conclusion, this pilot study suggests that CrossFit training might be beneficial for improving body composition and concurrently changes certain motivational factors to continue engaging in the fitness activity. Further studies with a longer intervention period and a larger sample size are needed to support these findings

Energy-Aware Planning-Scheduling for Autonomous Aerial Robots

In this paper, we present an online planning-scheduling approach for battery-powered autonomous aerial robots. The approach consists of simultaneously planning a coverage path and scheduling onboard computational tasks. We further derive a novel variable coverage motion robust to airborne constraints and an empirically motivated energy model. The model includes the energy contribution of the schedule based on an automatic computational energy modeling tool. Our experiments show how an initial flight plan is adjusted online as a function of the available battery, accounting for uncertainty. Our approach remedies possible in-flight failure in case of unexpected battery drops, e.g., due to adverse atmospheric conditions, and increases the overall fault tolerance.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, IROS'2

What is a plant gall and how do insects make them?

Abstract only availableGalls are novel plant organs, produced under the insect's direction. These ecotopic organs provide food and shelter for the developing larvae. The cell of many galls are richer in starch and sugars than normal tissues and the insect uses this rich food to grow in a protected place. In a previous study of galls on grape leaves, the lab found that plant genes specifying the vegetative-to-reproductive transition and fruit and seed identity were expressed in developing galls. To fully test the hypothesis that insects make plant galls by upregulating fruit genes, one needs to block expression of the genes and show that a gall can't be made. This is difficult to do in grape but can be done in poplar, so we are working with galls on poplar leaves. In poplar leaves with or without galls, sectioned and stained using Toluene Blue O dye and examined under polarized light at 20 magnification, we identified changes that galls make in leaf development. We detected a number of histological changes in galled leaves, including patterning of xylem & phloem, palisade and spongy parenchyma. We prepared RNA from fruit, ungalled leaf and galled leaf to study diffences in their expression of meristem identity and carpel genes. Although we didn't have time to do the gene expression work, we predict that the expression of fruit genes will be elevated in the gall tissue compared to surrounding normal leaf tissue.Gyeongsang National Universit

Molecular structure of promoter-bound yeast TFIID.

Transcription preinitiation complex assembly on the promoters of protein encoding genes is nucleated in vivo by TFIID composed of the TATA-box Binding Protein (TBP) and 13 TBP-associate factors (Tafs) providing regulatory and chromatin binding functions. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of promoter-bound yeast TFIID at a resolution better than 5 Å, except for a flexible domain. We position the crystal structures of several subunits and, in combination with cross-linking studies, describe the quaternary organization of TFIID. The compact tri lobed architecture is stabilized by a topologically closed Taf5-Taf6 tetramer. We confirm the unique subunit stoichiometry prevailing in TFIID and uncover a hexameric arrangement of Tafs containing a histone fold domain in the Twin lobe

Over-expressed copper/zinc superoxide dismutase localizes to mitochondria in neurons inhibiting the angiotensin II-mediated increase in mitochondrial superoxide

Angiotensin II (AngII) is the main effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), and contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease by exerting its effects on an array of different cell types, including central neurons. AngII intra-neuronal signaling is mediated, at least in part, by reactive oxygen species, particularly superoxide (O2 (•-)). Recently, it has been discovered that mitochondria are a major subcellular source of AngII-induced O2 (•-). We have previously reported that over-expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), a mitochondrial matrix-localized O2 (•-) scavenging enzyme, inhibits AngII intra-neuronal signaling. Interestingly, over-expression of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), which is believed to be primarily localized to the cytoplasm, similarly inhibits AngII intra-neuronal signaling and provides protection against AngII-mediated neurogenic hypertension. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that CuZnSOD over-expression in central neurons localizes to mitochondria and inhibits AngII intra-neuronal signaling by scavenging mitochondrial O2 (•-). Using a neuronal cell culture model (CATH.a neurons), we demonstrate that both endogenous and adenovirus-mediated over-expressed CuZnSOD (AdCuZnSOD) are present in mitochondria. Furthermore, we show that over-expression of CuZnSOD attenuates the AngII-mediated increase in mitochondrial O2 (•-) levels and the AngII-induced inhibition of neuronal potassium current. Taken together, these data clearly show that over-expressed CuZnSOD in neurons localizes in mitochondria, scavenges AngII-induced mitochondrial O2 (•-), and inhibits AngII intra-neuronal signaling